AHA testifies at hearing on VA's ability to promptly pay non-VA providers

The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health today held a hearing on the “VA’s ability to promptly pay non-VA providers.” Testifying for the AHA, Vince Leist, president and CEO of North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, highlighted hospitals’ strong record of collaborating with the VA to care for veterans, but emphasized that lack of prompt payment by the VA and its contractors “hinders access to care for veterans who need non-VA services and undermines the viability of non-VA hospitals and the essential services they provide to their communities.” Leist expressed concern about how the VA processes claims and detailed how many hospitals, including NARMC, have not been paid by the VA for claims that go back more than three years. In addition, he provided a number of recommendations that could help ensure prompt payment by the VA, including paying claims within 30 days of the receipt of a proper claim, making interest payments to hospitals when claims are not paid in 30 days and requiring the VA to develop a metric to measure effectiveness in its claims processing.